Someone that I've Never Met
by Steflebolt
Summary: Every week, naive Astoria Greengrass lays out her soul on a line in a letter to her anonymous benefactor, Draco Malfoy. Darkness and a change of heart will transcend beyond their passive exchange of words.
1. Prologue

_Note: This story will a combination of a series of letters and narration. Astoria may have an immature thinking at times because of her past sheltered life. A slight patience with development will be appreciated._

 _This story contains a few elements from the novel, Daddy-Long-Legs as I feel that some parts of it are of great inspiration, however the story is significantly different. I also do not own any of the Harry Potter characters. Credit goes to the two authors and the creator of the image of the book cover._

* * *

"Tell me, Mr Malfoy. Has something gone into your head?" Professor McGonagall was chewing a piece of shortbread a little too furiously. She carefully studied the young man in front of her. He had hardly changed. His platinum blond hair was combed away to reveal a pale face with a sharply tapered jawline. Most striking of all were his grey eyes that flickered with indignance, coupled with a frown that soured the mood.

"I think I am completely normal, Professor." His arrogant nonchalance made her exasperatedly adjust her pointed witch's hat to the optimum angle that made her appear taller. Under McGonagall's table, Draco's hands kept shifting restlessly. He forced his muscles to stiffen, restraining the urge to let his anxiety take hold of him. McGonagall removed the round glasses that sat the sharp tip of her nose, dropping a few crumbs in the process. She squinted hard at him. Her usually quiet office had turned into a cold war, there was silent chaos brewing between the two of them. She pursed her lips, itching to make a few cutting remarks, but they abruptly clamped shut. Quietly looking down, Draco was unsure if he was supposed to hide anything from her. He felt his patience trickling away quickly and finally, it got the better of him. "Are you taking the deal or not, Professor?"

"And you say that you have repented, Mr Malfoy." McGonagall's reply was laced with a harsh iciness that plagued him. Draco said nothing, his pretentiously innocent expression challenging her. McGonagall sighed exasperatedly and rubbed her temples, creasing the wrinkles at her forehead. She wondered defeatedly, as her bony hand reached out for another biscuit, how she could possibly have ended up at the losing end.

"There is one student, Astoria Greengrass." McGonagall noisily chewed on a ginger newt while scraping her head to ensure that her grey-streaked hair was still in place. Having found a brief moment of solace, she placed her elbows back on her desk with returned authority, its emerald green sleeves draping elegantly. Draco feigned uninterest, but she was keen enough to observe that he was listening. He played around with the name in his mind, it sounded familiar to him, except that he could never remember anyone he had met. It was never worth the trouble. "Her family had just lost their inherited wealth, which for years they had relied upon." She ran a finger along the edge of the table, clearly troubled attempting to find a source of distraction. "I'm afraid she may not be able to finish her next year of final education."

"I'll do it." McGonagall suddenly sat up straight, nearly falling out of her chair. There was a secret satisfaction in knowing that she had finally managed to knock some sense to him. He looked at her with surprising determination, nodding with a casual uncertainty to convince himself of the decision. "Let me pay for everything she needs. Her books, robes, Hogsmeade. Anything." McGonagall took a huge bite of the ginger newt to stall time, dusting her hands.

"And how would you like her to repay you?"

"Nothing." He slipped an envelope towards her and before she could question further, he stood up prompting, a small sense of pride and assurance swelling in him "Farewell, Professor." The door of the Headmaster's Office hastily slammed close.

McGonagall could not help but give a small smile.

To: Whomever it may concern

I have made the decision to do some charity and provide financial assistance to a selected student in Hogwarts. I trust that you will handle the matter responsibly. Outlined below is a sensible nine-point plan, for your viewing.

1\. Your final year of education in Hogwarts will be paid for.

2\. You will receive a weekly allowance sent by owl to purchase anything required. Your allowance is to be spent purely on necessities. Should you need extra money, a highly unlikely scenario, you are to write to me with the reason specified. The guidelines for writing your letters are as follows below.

3\. You will write to me minimally once a week, detailing in your letters the use of my allowance. I wish to remain anonymous to you, therefore there is no need to address me with any particular name.

4\. I do not wish to see in your letters any complaints or sharing of problems. I am merely a benefactor and I do not take any interest in what you are doing.

5\. There is no need for me to receive any form of payment. However, it is expected that you take your education seriously.

6\. I would not like to receive appreciation in any form, whether it is gifts or written. Any gratitude from you is uncalled for.

7\. You are forbidden to question anything about me.

8\. After you have completed your education, you are to cut off contact and stop writing to me.

9\. I will completely ignore your letters and no reply will be given. I hate girls.

* * *

 _Prologue is done, the letters from Astoria will start coming in soon. Any reviews and feedback are welcomed. Updates will be on Tuesdays, every one to two weeks._


	2. Chapter 2

_Hi guys, this chapter has been released early on Monday instead of Tuesday because it turns out that tomorrow I won't be having a computer with me the whole day._

 _A/N: I've been asked if the plot of this story will follow the novel, Daddy-Long-Legs. My answer is that the first part of it will be similar because I think it mirrors Draco and Astoria's initial stage of the relationship accurately. However, the rest will be almost entirely different._

* * *

Dear Kind Sir,

I know you won't ever come to read this, which is why I feel safe enough to already breach your rules in my first letter. I would like to express my gratitude towards you for your immense generosity, I shall remember you for a very long time.

Writing this letter is of an importance that excites me. I'm holding my quill pen and parchment paper in the most prim and proper manner for this pivotal moment. And it will be the start of papers being hoarded in your office, though I doubt that you have to work, given that you must have a large excess of money that is being unwisely spent on insignificant students like me.

It does guilt me that you are a rich, old man who may not be rich for that much longer. I'm sorry you dislike girls, that must be of a terrible hindrance to you. I'm currently on the Hogwarts Express. I've just changed into my robes and it's lovely outside. The December snow is still there in frayed sheets, slowly melting. I'm having a chocolate frog right now, I got Harry Potter on my card again. That will be added to my collection. Don't you think he's just a legend? I'll be reaching Hogwarts in an hour.

P.S. Are you bald?

 _Astoria Greengrass_

OvO

Draco stashed the letter aside, brutally crumpling its edges. He lazily scanned the Malfoy Manor, yawning in the dismal light that trickled through the latticed windows. Every piece of furniture in his study had remained unmoved, never shifting from its position on the varnished floor. Behind him was a cavity, housing shelves of books that he had never touched. Diagonally across to his left was a wooden coffee table with cherubs carved across its circumference. Above him hung a chandelier that was shackled to the arched ceiling…

For all he knew, Astoria would begin to waste her allowance on worthless things. He could have used it to satisfy his constant craving for self-gratification. His eyes closed with a grimace, as he brooded over how she could have made him feel this weary. After taking pity on himself, he got up from his chair to inspect himself in the full-length mirror next to him. A harsh reflection stared back at him, stoic and stubbornly refusing to show a speck of emotion. He unconsciously brushed away a strand of hair that had strayed and surprised himself when he smirked at the realization he had made. He, most definitely, was not bald.

OvO

Sir,

In the Slytherin dormitory after having a marvellous feast in the Great Hall, I think I've stuffed myself with a stupendous number of croquettes and corn-on-the-cobs. There weren't many people to talk to and I'm quite alone. I'm organising my robes and books which I bought from Diagon Alley. There is a sense of comfort in feeling the new fabric and pages. Normally I'm not such a tidy and organised person. This year will be a deviation from my habitual self, because everything that I'm buying with your allowance practically feels like solid gold that is weighing down heavily on me. I don't think you would be too pleased if you were to find out that my robes have been carelessly tossed onto my bed. Or that my textbook has been stained by spilled Berry Ocky Rot. Don't worry Sir, I drink simply for show. My lips touch the mouth of the bottle and barely a drop gets into me.

It is ironic, that I'm being cared for by a stranger. It feels like you're a real father, mine never seemed to pay attention to any of this. What is your name, I wonder? It is a shame that you don't have one, that shows a lack in personality.

 _Astoria Greengrass_

OvO

Sir,

I've been using my spare time to read a few books and do some sketching, I'm working on a portrait of you at the moment, it's my first actual piece of work. That is owing to the fact that I was long dismissed of the desire to develop an artistic flair, my parents detested that it was causing me to become a prodigal. I had the tendency of using up my paints at a rate too quick to be acceptable. It's rather frustrating that they have dried up after the prolonged period of disuse, I'll have to make do with it. Flint has accidentally messed with my palette and his feathers have become unsightly. Yes Sir, Flint is the Eagle Owl you gave me last year to deliver my letters and your allowance. I think the name Flint is quite flattering on him, his eyes are a startling orange that reminds me of the spark that flint stones give off when they're struck.

It's arduous work attempting to imagine someone you've never met. It requires an unusual amount of thinking. I suppose your face has aged, to the extent that your veins are at risk of piercing through your chartaceous, shrivelled up skin, considering how old you must be. Your eyes probably still smile, that I'm certain about. Sir, I know you do not reply to my letters, but would you be willing enough to write back just one sentence? It would help me make better progress in my painting. Any of the following would do:

 _I am bald._ or

 _I have grey hair._

 _Astoria Greengrass_

OvO

Sir,

You must be waiting with discontent to hear what I'm learning at Hogwarts.

Today

Transfiguration: Professor McGonagall taught us a spell to disguise ourselves as everyday objects.

Divination: We used tea leaves to make predictions. I regret taking this. I could only see patterns that vaguely resemble crow's feet.

Defence against the Dark Arts: Practising a spell that imprisons your enemy in a block of ice.

Muggle studies: Studying how a Muggle public library works.

History: I'm sorry, Sir. I fell asleep.

Astrology: Writing an awfully long essay on when the stars will next align.

Herbology: Professor Sprout and her assistant Neville Longbottom showed us plants used to make sleeping potions.

Potions: My most comfortable subject. We made a potion that burns anything it touches, I finished it early with plenty of spare time to read a book by Nicholas Flamel.

Care of Magical Creatures: Hagrid had hurt his leg, which meant no interaction with creatures today. We sat on the grass and listened to him talk about the history of Hippogriffs.

 _Astoria Greengrass_

OvO

Sir,

We've made our first trip to Hogsmeade this year. I'm starting to feel what it's like to live a normal life. I know, Sir, you must be incredulous and asking what I mean by that. I'm not sure if Professor McGonagall has ever told you, my family is one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. We were rich, if I had to be direct. It's not an act of boasting towards you, really. It's a fact. There was much loathing towards me during my first few years at Hogwarts. It seemed that people were certain that my family would have been a goner if our inheritance hadn't sustained us, which I had always obstinately denied. Yes, what an absurd reveal in honesty.

I used to romantically envision the commoner's life and it turns out unfortunately, that I was far from the truth. I never knew that people saved up to buy better things. I never knew ten cups of butterbeer could cost a fortune. And you won't believe this, but I never even knew the taste of butterbeer.

I feel so many years behind.

 _Astoria Greengrass_

OvO

Sir,

You still haven't told me if you're bald yet.

 _Astoria Greengrass_

OvO

What kind of charity are you doing? You don't respond, you don't do anything, I don't even know your name. Are you humane? A person? You are a cruel, cold, selfish man.

* * *

Reviews and feedback are welcomed. Draco and Astoria have only just got started, look out for updates on a Tuesday in one or two weeks.


	3. Chapter 3

Draco tried to blatantly push the letter aside, but his hand froze midway. He rubbed against his temples, which had never pulsed with such throbbing pain in years. It was a dull pain that obstinately clung onto him, catching him off guard in an unwanted predicament. Still perplexed, his fingers wrapped themselves around a fountain pen. It was a peculiar sensation, the times he had spent writing in Hogwarts already seemed so forgotten.

Dear Ms Astoria—

The paper got viciously crushed into a tight ball as he let out his pent-up frustrations. He resoundingly slumped back into his seat, quite unfortunately, at a loss as to what to do.

The doors of the Malfoy Manor creaked open much later, letting in a breeze that stirred him.

OvO

Sir,

I'm sorry. I was horrible, I really am a beast. I was feeling quite weather-beaten and that caused me to be very discourteous towards you. I beg your forgiveness for my foolishness. And thank you for the Camellias, they look lovely. Just out of unsureness may I ask, are they actually pink?

 _Astoria Greengrass_

OvO

Sir,

Happy days. Professor McGonagall told me to see her in the office in the late afternoon because there will be visitors. I couldn't concentrate because I had never felt so intrigued by the idea that I could skip History. It turns out that Daphne's friend, Pansy, came with Draco Malfoy to see how I was doing. Daphne used to tell me how the two of them were made for each other, but I find that hard to believe now. It seems as if Draco had decided that he has come to greatly detest her.

We went to a steak house at Charing Cross Road. Pansy did most of the talking, Draco was relatively silent the whole trip. I felt a little unsettled because he was watching me closely, I think we couldn't decide what to think about each other. And then there was that strange moment, where his eyes pierced right through me. It made me suddenly notice that he was the first person that I could see in full colour. Normally I have trouble seeing certain colours and that makes me become very muddled, but Draco was an exception. I must have gotten too excited over this observation because I blurted out how his eyes were a beautiful, startling grey, to which he had an amused smile that didn't quite come through.

We later talked about many things, it was a serious discussion: Why wizards love scones, how apples should be green instead of red, why Ron Weasley's rumoured obsession with chicken could be detrimental to his palette. I was an embarrassment later because I thought Draco offered his arm towards me, Pansy laughed and said that it was for her. I walked a little behind the two of them, feeling quite contented.

 _Astoria Greengrass_

OvO

Sir,

Quidditch practice today. I was a bit rusty because it's been a few weeks since I got on my broom. Today was polishing up on our technique rather than playing actual matches, a slight disappointment but I knew it was much needed. I worked on the Dionysus Dive, a rather handy move for long-distance scoring. The chaser has to stand on a broom before leaping to punch the Quaffle straight into the goal. I nearly fell off my broom during one of my attempts. If it weren't for one of the girls called Alice McGregor, I might have met an unflattering death. Did you play Quidditch in your youth? I wonder if you were just as good as Harry Potter. He really does have some marvellous style.

 _Astoria Greengrass_

OvO

Draco gave a condescending snort. "Potter."

OvO

Sir,

Can you imagine that Muggles use complex arithmetic to keep themselves alive? Heaven knows how they do that! Professor Rizenberg (we call him Professor 'Reece') told us that Muggles employ that in businesses out of no choice. Let's say you had to borrow a sum of money from the bank. In our world, how much money you pay on top of the amount you owe depends on the mood of the goblin that day, I suppose that makes bribery important. Muggles are much more calculative, they use compound interest, that means how much you pay in return increases with time, which is why some muggles never get out of their debt. I think my sense of justice has gone awry, offering bribes doesn't sound so bad after all.

 _Astoria Greengrass_

OvO

Sir,

Alice and I went to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, I had to thank her for saving me from breaking all of my bones at Quidditch Practice. The owner George Weasley was cold to us at first, I heard him muttering something about Slytherins. Well, I can't blame him. Our rivalry with his house, Gryffindor, will always remain. The place is already a circus on its own. You could get transfixed by how vibrant everything is and there were all kinds of products that occasionally exploded. It was very packed because it was a weekend. George was a lot friendlier when Alice went to tell him how much of a fan she was. I must say, George has a wacky intelligence. He showed us his latest product, the Bewitched Knife. It gives an absolutely fantastic illusion that you've sliced off your head. I never laughed so hard in my life and I asked him how he manages to be that witty. He must have been exhausted because he didn't answer, before we knew it other students were fighting to talk to him. I hope you don't mind, I bought Alice a few self-writing Quills.

 _Astoria Greengrass_

OvO

Sir,

I apologise in advance for my grumblings, today's Potions was a downer for me. Professor Slughorn tasked us to make Deathcap Poison. It was going well until I accidentally spilled some of it onto Samira Foster. Now I must confess that Samira is someone who looks absolutely ravishing. Her dirty blonde hair has a stark contrast against her immaculate face, which makes her completely alluring despite her hateful nature, naturally tempting me to be clumsier with my potions. The results were more severe than I expected because her veins bulged and turn black, she was screaming wildly as her skin started peeling. Slughorn had to rush her to the hospital wing, I felt awful since everyone was looking at me. I visited Samira later in the evening. She was fine except for the bandages all over her to cover up her burn marks, I laughed to myself because she did look absurd when she was mummified. Even though her mouth was covered, I could hear her spouting out curses. She's of Russian blood and Russians are hardly friendly in my opinion. I'm going to take a walk with Alice to forget about this for a moment.

 _Astoria Greengrass_

OvO

Sir,

I hope you don't drink a lot; Professor McGonagall says that it does terrible things to you. My parents do go to the pub often, life probably isn't working out well for them right now. According to McGonagall, tea with biscuits are a much more sensible choice. I don't see people eating biscuits nowadays, modern times have made biscuits sound like an old English tradition. With the exception of McGonagall, I think only royalty enjoy doing such things. It must be an odd life being the Queen of England, almost living in seclusion and having to act refined in public. I think I used to be that type of person, it confuses me as to how I saw that life as indulgent.

Astoria Greengrass

OvO

"What are you doing?"

Draco snapped back from his trail of thoughts, alarmed. Lucius Malfoy scorned and leaned over his shoulder to have a good look at him, trying to decipher his antics. He had not spoken a word to him for days because he spent much of his time sitting by the fireplace, embittered that his son was growing into someone he found incompetent.

"Nothing." Draco quickly placed his arms over the letters, which by now he had neatly organised into a stack. While fumbling with his fountain pen, it sent out a spurt of ink onto Lucius' sleeve in the process. Lucius glared at him with such revolt that Draco's eyes widened and returned a look of helplessness. Lucius had his lips curl up into a snarl, more than prepared to make a cutting remark, when Draco hastily cut in, "Do you know Astoria Greengrass?"

"What do you want to know?" Lucius asked curtly, rubbing against the stain that unfortunately was turning into a smudge of black. Draco shrugged, his heart pounding madly. "Greengrass." Lucius paced behind Draco, speaking in a tone that sounded as if he was having a conversation with himself. "A family that has failed, lost everything." Lucius gave a wry smile that made Draco silently disgruntled, satisfied at finding a chance to finally share his disapproval about something. He came to an abrupt stop and the heel of his shoe scraped against the floor. "They are vile creatures."

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Disclaimer: I have never and still don't have anything against Russians. Reviews and feedback are greatly welcomed, look out for updates on Tuesdays in one or two weeks.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: I've never felt so happy to post a new chapter, I apologise for the long delay. My computer was a goner and I had to wait for a long time before I could get a new one. Hope you guys are happy to see Draco and Astoria again! ;)_

* * *

Sir,

The seeker on our team, Osten, asked Alice out today, about time because it's Valentine's Day this week. It was during Potions when Professor Slughorn was demonstrating how to brew an anti-paralysis potion. You could observe that Osten was standing right behind Alice and reaching his hand out to tap her on the shoulder, except that he couldn't bring himself to do it. Professor Slughorn must have seen it because he suddenly called out Osten and asked him to 'let it all out'. He asked Alice in the shakiest, sweetest way to have tea with her at Hogsmeade. I'm truly happy for Alice, I really am.

 _Astoria Greengrass_

OvO

Sir,

I can say with absolute conviction that I'm going to hate Valentine's Day. I haven't been asked out by anyone at all. I guess I do regret causing myself to appear aloof to the others, they must think that I don't want to be associated with anyone. The truth is, Sir, I am ashamed of my family after we lost our inheritance. I don't want to show these raw feelings to them. I can't wait to pluck out those pesky pink confetti from my hair and to hear people reading out their Valentine's Day letters. Lovely. And I absolutely can't wait for Alice to go on her date. I shall stay in the Slytherin Dormitory, that shall be nice.

The only thing about me that shall be reminiscent of Valentine's Day will be the pink Camellias you gave on my bedside table. I'm not even sure they're pink because I'm colour blind. You haven't answered my previous question on what colour they are. As if you ever will.

 _Astoria Greengrass_

OvO

Astoria tensed up when she heard the stone wall to the common room grinding as it opened. She deliberately looked away and faced the mantelpiece, not wanting the student to see her. She heard footsteps rounding the carved chairs, until she felt the person's presence close to her.

"Morning."

She startlingly shifted her eyes to Draco, who had his hands in the pockets and stood with a composure that to her, was rather imposing. Draco waited for her response but when nothing came, he simply nodded to himself. He took a seat on the leather sofa opposite her and kept silent as Astoria adjusted her robes. Sensing how uncomfortable she was, he cleared his throat. "Nothing much has changed." He studied with uncertainty the green tapestries with the sinister serpent on it.

"No, nothing at all." Astoria was still in disbelief that he had come visit her.

"Don't you just hate Valentine's Day?" Draco asked in a tone that made it seem like the most important question at that moment. Astoria looked at his unsmiling face and much to his amazement, she started laughing. She had no idea why she did it, it just suddenly came and she could not stop it. Draco watched her heavy bangs move to the side, revealing brown eyes that glowed as she tried to catch a breath. He found himself going weak and got lost in a warmth that he had never felt before.

OvO

"Do you know what colour are these?" Astoria lifted a delicate vase of flowers from her bedside table.

"They're pink," he replied, pretending not to take much notice of it. He felt unsettled at the thought of it, much less the sight of it.

Astoria placed the vase back with a sense of satisfaction and bit her lips, unsure what Draco would think. "What…what is the colour of pink like?"

"Why would that bother you?" Astoria was slighty talken aback by his bluntness.

"I don't know," she shrugged at the absurdity of her question. "I realised that the only colours I can see like everyone else are black, white and grey. Being colour blind seems to bother me."

"What do these flowers look like to you?"

"A light…grey."

Draco could see tears drip onto her robes and she was clearly embarrassed about it. He uneasily glanced away from her, "Who gave them to you?"

"Someone. Someone that I've never met." She paused to rearrange the flowers, her back facing him. "Why do you think he chose to give pink Camellias to me?"

Draco thought hard but his mind went blank. "I never thought about that."

OvO

Sir,

I visited George's shop again. I've been having too much on my mind. I was surprised that George could even remember me and it was very kind of him to give me a full tour of his shop. He said that he was planning on a further expansion next year, to which I replied that his business was already flourishing and he didn't quite have a need for that. But he was quite adamant about it, perhaps it's his strong head that convinced him that opening a joke shop would be a brilliant idea. He offered me some bath bombs free of charge, he said that they would work marvellously in the Prefects' Bathroom. I wanted to refuse because I didn't want to cause him to have a loss, but he insisted on it. Alice and I are quite looking forward to playing a prank on someone this week.

OvO

Sir,

The prank was a greatly historical feat, though it escalated a little too quickly. I helped to keep a lookout while Alice placed two of the bath bombs into the bathtub of the Prefects' Bathroom and cast an invisibility spell on them. The packaging said that the bath bombs will cause a violent explosion the moment a single drop of water comes into contact with them. We then went to the Great Hall and had our meals as usual when a huge wave of soap bubbles came crashing down the stairs. We had to stand on the dining table and the Professors made it levitate above the ground for our safety while Professor McGonagall went to have it sorted. She was furious and later made a statement that gigantic bubbles floating in Hogwarts is atrocious and unacceptable, although Professor Slughorn seemed to thoroughly enjoy himself. It turns out that the victim of our prank was one of the Slytherin prefects, Margaret. She had to run for her life with a towel to maintain her modesty. I don't feel that guilty, she's always making fun of me.

 _Astoria Greengrass_

OvO

Sir,

We had Care of Magical Creatures and Hagrid brought in a Murtlap. Its tentacles looked nasty and Hagrid told us not to even think of touching it. Samira was foolish and stubborn enough to kick and step on it. The Murtlap got enraged and gave her a harsh sting on the foot. Samira got so hysterical that even Hagrid couldn't handle her, the whole class had to drag her to the hospital wing. Again. Honestly, I don't think I'll ever understand Samira.

 _Astoria Greengrass_

OvO

Sir,

Remember that portrait I did of you at the beginning of the school term? I've finally finished it and I'm sending it to you. I'm sorry if it's slightly untidy, hopefully it'll please you.

 _Astoria Greengrass_

OvO

Draco carefully unwrapped the brown parchment paper and took out the painting. For a moment, one would be appalled. No doubt, the strokes and details were impeccable, but it was a clashing bleed of colours. He leaned closer to have a better look at it. Majority of the painting was shrouded in a mixture of dark colours, it was the portrait of an old man whose character is seemingly dull. Yet his face was painted to be bold and vibrant. He had a smile that softly shone.

OvO

One of the wizards sorting his Poker cards stared hard at her. She seemed too young for such a place judging from her swiftness in dishing out beer cups. Samira further lowered the hood over her head to cover her face. She had never gotten into trouble for this and she could not afford to be charged for serving as an underaged witch. Her father would completely destroy her over that. Mr Foster placed one foot on a stool as he clinked glasses with a group of wizards. Sparks were flying from their wands as they laughed madly at his jokes. He was greatly revered in this place as the head of his own bar and he had pushed Samira to be one of his waitresses as the bar was severely understaffed.

Sitting at a counter far from her was an odd couple. The man wore a scruffy suit that was worn-out and covered with grime. His partner had brown hair that was loose in curls that were beyond control and wore a black dress that had sequins and a plunging neckline. They were a poorly rich pair. Wine gurgled down his throat and he added the bottle to an astonishing collection of empty bottles.

His wife trailed her fingers down his arm, "He'll be here soon. He's never late."

That one sentence was a whirlwind for him and he shrieked maniacally, "MCGREGOR. PAYS HE. WE GET BACK. WE HIM GET. GET MCGREGOR."

The other wizards glared at them and Draco shuddered at the man's lunacy. Lucius could not take it anymore and stormed off to the bathroom in disgust to relieve himself.

The couple had one last drink before they decided to head off. It appeared that they knew that they were being frowned upon by displeased customers because they did not utter a word and walked out in a much more civilised manner, a stark contrast to a few seconds ago.

"Keep the change." Draco passed Samira a generous stack of coins and gave a polite smile, he couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Samira felt her cheeks flush and was about to say something to him when there was the deafening sound of crushed metal, followed by a piercing scream.

The bar was in shocked silence.

* * *

 _Reviews and feedback are welcomed!_


	5. Chapter 5

The Daily Prophet had sent out its papers for the day, gleefully awaiting the fluttering of pages and the fracas it would bring about. Spilled on the front page in block letters was 'WILL THIS BE THE LAST OF THE GREENGRASS FAMILY?', accompanied by a moving picture of a man, with round glasses that were too large for his face and fraying strands of hair stuck to his head, being dragged by his handcuffs. He did not seem the least bit provoked, he merely kept a poker face and did not put up a fuss, as if he had already accepted fate. Words of the article eagerly ran down the front page:

 _Two wizards have been killed at a street outside a bar yesterday, slightly past midnight. The victims have been identified as members of the fallen Greengrass family. The Greengrasses are one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight who are known to have previously supported the ideology of Pure-blood Supremacy. The couple has two daughters, Daphne and Astoria Greengrass. Astoria Greengrass is currently attending Hogwarts School of Witch-craft and Wizardry. Further details about the two daughters are unknown._

 _The perpetrator has been identified as Martin McGregor, an unemployed wizard. His daughter, Alice McGregor, is currently attending Hogwarts as well. According to a spokesgoblin of Gringotts Wizarding Bank, the Greengrasses decided to put up a large sum of their inheritance for borrowing, with the belief that this investment would reap a surplus for them. McGregor was the only borrower of their loan. He promised the Greengrasses to return the sum of money with interest after a duration of five years. However, McGregor failed to do so and had delayed the returning of the debt for months, leaving the Greengrasses eventually broke._

 _A wizard, who wishes to remain unnamed, says that the Greengrasses were yesterday sighted in the bar. Their loud conversation was overheard by many and it is presumed that McGregor had been forced to meet them outside the bar. Due to the remote location of the bar and the late timing at which the incident occurred, no eyewitnesses are available. McGregor has been arrested and will be taken into temporary custody while being questioned by the Ministry of Magic. When interviewed by the Daily Prophet, McGregor had no answer as to whether the incident was of intent or by accident. The Ministry of Magic would like to appeal for eyewitnesses and will provide any updates, if necessary._

OvO

Sir,

I hate everything. I loathe and despise it, I just don't know what to do. I suppose you've heard the news by now, about the death of my parents. You must be thinking that I'm deeply grieved, but no. Professor McGonagall asked me if I would like to be present at the burial of my parents. I refused. I don't know why. I've cried too many times today. I thought that I would never feel much about my parents, but now I feel guilty that I don't want to be at their burial, it seems like the wrong thing to do. And that's a pain that I can't describe. I hate it that everyone is talking about me, they wouldn't leave me alone. Even that idiotic Rita Skeeter appeared at the entrance of Hogwarts to look for me. If it wasn't for Professor McGonagall chasing everyone away, I wouldn't have time by myself now. I feel like there's nobody left to talk to except for you. Daphne has long abandoned her education and our family, she hasn't spoken to us in years. Alice hasn't been talking to me either. I really do believe her father is innocent, he wouldn't do such a thing. I just want all of this to be over.

 _Astoria Greengrass_

OvO

Draco felt a torment that he knew too well. It was one that was harrowing and could never be put entirely behind him. It was still very much clawing at his mind, because the last time he felt it was not too long ago—when his father was sent to Azkaban. Lucius was hauled by the Dementors, their skeletal, decaying hands digging into his arms.

" _DON'T TAKE HIM-_ " Narcissa's words pounded in his head. She was wailing, trying to snatch him back, eyes a bleeding red. Lucius turned his head towards them, his face was hollowed out and ghostly devoid of life. It was almost as if the sockets of his eyes were empty, they were fixed and still. He choked out a weak whisper of words that Narcissa tried to cling on to, but they faded into nothing.

Narcissa collapsed feebly, bringing herself to her knees. It was at that moment that Draco felt himself leaning forward over the edge and he fell. It was a slow agony that refused to stop even as his soul thrashed around. It kept sinking in, until it stabbed him through.

He had suffered it, yet he felt completely at a loss. He wanted to run to Astoria's side and be the one to tell her the white lie that everything would be alright, but he was afraid to. He was not supposed to. The thought that Astoria did not think that she could confide in him was a harsh reality for him to bear. He accepted it. It was for her good, to prevent himself making another mistake again.

OvO

Sir,

I had missed my lessons for the entire week. I felt too ashamed to show myself in front of the others. Professor McGonagall was understanding and did not say anything against it. I haven't been doing anything. I get up, stare at the walls and do nothing else. I feel like this is all my fault.

 _Astoria Greengrass_

OvO

Sir,

I'm sorry I haven't written to you for some time. I'm feeling better now. Hagrid asked me to have tea at his place. He gave me some cake that took me some courage to swallow down, it seemed to have gone stale and the frosting was sliding off. The only reason I ate it was because he told me that it was leftovers from Harry Potter's birthday cake, I hope that wasn't from ages ago. Hagrid is such a wonderful person. I'm not one of his best students when it comes to Care of Magical Creatures, I'm surprised he even thought of having me over. He didn't bring up anything about my parents, which I'm grateful for. I spent the whole afternoon listening to him tell me stories about Harry Potter. He says that what I'm going through is normal, in fact Harry didn't have it that easy when he was recovering from his parents' death. Harry isn't as strong or brave as I thought, that makes me like him even better. I do think Hagrid misses having someone for company. I should visit him more often.

 _Astoria Greengrass_

OvO

Sir,

I've been trying to find time to talk to Alice, but it's difficult. She has been sitting away from me during lessons and ignores me whenever I call out for her. I can't blame her. Things must be hard for her and she probably thinks that I'm mad with her over what her father has done. I'll just have to be patient and find a better time to be with her. The Daily Prophet has been circulating more articles about me, I've been hearing students spread rumours about me and that makes me greatly frustrated. But there's nothing much that I can do about it. You'll be astonished to know that Samira has not been bullying me over this. In fact, she has not spoken a word about it. She has only gone about with her typical snarky remarks about me being stuck-up. That makes me rather relieved and contented. Maybe Samira won't humiliate me as much as I thought she would. That is a relief.

 _Astoria Greengrass_

OvO

Sir,

I went to Hogsmeade today. Honestly, I can't be bothered by what the other students think about me anymore. I went to Honeydukes and one of the students from the Gryffindor Quidditch team said something foul about me. I yelled back at him and the whole shop was entertained by the row we had. Great, now I'm really going to be infamous in Hogwarts. I got myself some chocolate peppermint No-melt Ice Cream. That should last me for a good length of time. I also bought a few packets of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum since I remembered that Draco once said he hadn't eaten it in ages. I'm not sure when I'll have the chance to pass it to him, I'm tempted to have some of it for myself in the meantime. He won't know it.

 _Astoria Greengrass_

OvO

Sir,

I went to Diagon Alley to see George. He was fixing back a piece of wallpaper that had peeled off when I arrived. It was an incredible surprise later when Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger turned up. I was in such awe of them that I was literally breathless. George was kind enough to introduce me to them. Hermione was very warm towards me but Ron seemed confused as to how he should regard me. Perhaps I was paying too much attention to his red hair and came off to him as disturbing. Hermione had a short chat with me while Ron brought George aside for a discussion. She was very keen to ask me about my schoolwork and I was quite afraid that I would say something that was not factually accurate. Hermione is the brightest witch of her age and I wouldn't want her to think poorly of me. It seemed that George had mentioned me in his conversation with Ron because I saw him pointing at me. I hope it wasn't anything bad about me. I was close to bursting with excitement when I left after seeing them. It's only a shame that I didn't get to meet Harry Potter.

 _Astoria Greengrass_

OvO

Sir,

Professor Slughorn has finally pestered me to go for one of his Slug Club meetings. I have been making up excuses and giving them a miss. I do like Professor Slughorn, but I don't take much pleasure in associating and mingling with other people. I've been looking through my Potions textbook since I've heard him hint at me that he has a tendency of testing his students at such meetings to further weed them out. I'm especially dreading this meeting because Alice will be there. I don't think she would be willing to see me. Hopefully tomorrow night won't be a highly strung one.

 _Astoria Greengrass_

OvO

"Ah, yes! All of you, Hogwart's best and the brightest, have a seat!" Slughorn fervidly shook hands with a line of students and led them to a roundabout table. He was more than proud to show off the small but lavish display he had set up. There was a bustle of movement as the students settled themselves in their seats, amused that they were being treated by someone so highly. The arranged spectacle boasted porcelain plates laced with gold, tall wine glasses and a large dish in the middle overflowing with Crystallised Pineapples. The students had grimly prim faces and sat stiffly against their chairs. The Slug Club meeting was, to them, serious business to be dealt with.

Slughorn's twinkling gooseberry eyes observed his students and he chuckled heartily, "What are all of you waiting for? Dig in! We shall have some of this before our mains. Leave some for me, of course." The clinking of cutlery resounded as they started helping themselves with hesitance, though eventually they were more at ease with the distraction of eating. Slughorn retied his chequered bow tie before tapping his fingers, which were sticky from eating a handful of crystallised pineapples, against his glass to get the attention of his students. "Today," Slughorn announced with gusto, "We welcome a late member to our Slughorn Club, Astoria Greengrass." Astoria shifted awkwardly in her seat as despising glares were suddenly cast at her. Alice, in particular, gave a sarcastic snigger.

Slughorn, who apparently did not notice the tension, continued with his prepared speech. "Now, Astoria," he cheerfully motioned to her, "why don't you say something about yourself?"

"Well I don't think there's really a need for that Professor—"

"That is a must, Astoria."

Reluctantly, Astoria anxiously pushed herself to quickly conjure up a series of intelligent words. "I enjoy brewing potions—"

"And you are one of my outstanding students!"

"Especially Polyjuice Potion, that is tricky but can be done quite easily—"

"Yes, yes! A most interesting potion indeed!"

"I do want to meet some former members from your Slug Club, Professor, like Gwenog Jones—"

"A most excellent Quidditch player!"

"And Ambrosius Flume—"

"That's my man!" Slughorn exclaimed as he excitedly devoured another Crystallised Pineapple.

"And Lucius Malfoy."

There was an abrupt choking and Slughorn had to slap himself hard in the chest. "I'm…I'm sorry Astoria, did I get that right?"

Astoria sank into her seat, but did not quite see what reason she had to take her words back. "Don't you remember, Professor? His son Draco once told me that his father was in your Slug Club for his brilliant performance at Potions."

There was a cue for the rolling of eyes and the other students remained tight-lipped. Slughorn gave a nervous laugh, "Why, Astoria," he proceeded to take a huge gulp of Chocolate Liqueur from his glass, "I'm sure you know very well what happened to Lucius Malfoy." Slughorn gestured to a large cork board behind them that was pinned with labelled photographs of his acclaimed students. Curious eyes scanned past them and halted at 'Lucius Malfoy', who had had his photograph brutally ripped off from the board, clearly indicative of Slughorn's chagrin. "What he has done and what he is now is no longer of importance to me—"

"But Professor," Astoria's words became faster as she refused to let Slughorn interrupt again, "Surely Lucius Malfoy is now a better person, he didn't go to Azkaban in the end—"

"My dear Astoria—"

"And his son, Draco, is one the kindest people I've ever known—"

"ENOUGH!" Slughorn vehemently slammed the table, breathing heavily as his head glistened in sweat. The students froze and continuously switched their attention between Slughorn and Astoria, wondering as to how this would turn out. Realising his mistake, Slughorn heaved a deep sigh. "I would like to make it clear, Astoria, that people who have fallen into such disgrace are not to be tolerated."

Astoria badly wanted to snap back at him, but resisted the urge to and sulked instead. Slughorn tried to be patient and composed himself, "A grave mistake in the past cannot be forgiven and their descendants have no choice but to bear it—"

Slughorn was still in the midst of his persuasion when Alice got up, close to sobbing and ran out of the room. Slughorn's mouth hung open aghast and he was not sure if he could carry on.

"Excuse me, Professor." Astoria raised her hand and stood up.

"Astoria, you know I have never gotten upset with you," Slughorn desperately called after her, but it was no use.

* * *

Reviews and feedback are greatly welcomed :)


	6. Chapter 6

Bitterly gripping the railings of the Astronomy Tower, Alice inclined herself forward, until she could see the vast space below that was waiting to swallow her. Moonlight washed over her long, distinctly silver hair that veiled her from her surroundings. She fixed her steely gaze ahead, looking paler than usual. It was typical of her to withdraw her thoughts from others occasionally, such instances made her attractively enigmatic. However, her current thoughts overburdened her, to the extent that it had robbed her to an unfeeling state. She heard the winding steps near her softly creak and her hands clenched until their veins were throbbing.

"Alice?" Astoria's soft voice made resentment scorch her further. She coldly ignored her, hoping that would make Astoria leave. Despairing, Astoria cautiously walked up to a spot next to her and took comfort in the passing wind. "Alice, I—"

"I don't want to hear it," Alice sharply replied. She furiously scowled at Astoria, eyes glinting dangerously.

"Just listen to me—"

"I won't."

"Well, you will." Astoria said obstinately, her impatience flaring up. Shortly after, she forced herself to calm down. "Look, I'm sure your father didn't do it."

Alice stubbornly did not show any reaction to this.

Astoria felt her determination wither but she pressed herself to continue, "He doesn't seem like someone who would do such a thing. And even if he did—"

"So you _do_ think he did it."

"That's not what I mean. I just want you to know, I won't ever think differently of you."

Alice smirked, "If you're sure." She sounded half-hearted, but Astoria felt assured that they had formed a truce at last.

Alice felt herself go numb as her mind hastily spun with calculation.

She wavered before recklessly turning to give a forceful push. She could hallucinate Astoria's legs folding underneath her, sending her into an alluring death.

But Astoria was gone, causing her to give an aggravated scream.

OvO

Sir,

Alice and I have finally sorted it out, which makes me feel much more relieved. Daphne had just sent her first letter to me after all this time. I felt compelled to tear it up into shreds, but I didn't. I'm more decent than that. You must be curious as to what exactly happened to Daphne Greengrass. Let me see…

I apologise for the delay, I rarely think about her.

Oh yes. Now I remember. She gave up on her N.E.W.T and left Great Britain. That coward decided that there was no way she was going to be anywhere near the Second Wizarding War. My parents had much difficulty parting with her. I did not have much of an issue with that, a domineering sister is worth giving away. Daph (or should I say, daft) did not send a long letter. In fact, it was only a sentence long. Something about how she's working in a 'no-maj perfume shop'. I've figured that she must be living in complete, blissful seclusion. Perhaps it's for the best. Attached below is a scented stick from her shop, for your enjoyment.

 _Astoria Greengrass_

OvO

Sir,

It is with elation that I announce that I will be taking Alchemy instead of Divination. Professor McGonagall came to tell me that Professor Slughorn had strongly recommended his elective course as 'deserving' of me. It seems that Professor Slughorn has taken some pity on me to make such a last-minute proposal. I'm extremely glad about dropping Divination. My grades for Divination are slightly better than History, but nonetheless, I hate it almost just as much. I still had to finish today's Divination lesson. I think Professor Trelawney was greatly distressed about her student leaving. She decided to do Cartomancy and drew a tarot card for me. It was rather entertaining spending the whole lesson seeing her shuffle her deck of cards a countless number of times. It was only towards the end of the lesson that she pulled a card out. She read it as 'the four hundred and forty-eighth phoenix', which she said indicated 'wealth upon death'.

I'm not certain as to what that means, but Professor Trelawney was quite happily intrigued by it.

 _Astoria Greengrass_

OvO

Sir,

Today was our Quidditch Captain's birthday, which presented a great problem of sort. You see, our captain has an unidentical twin brother who is on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. We carried boxes of decorations to the Great Hall early in the morning to surprise him. We were about to start putting up some banners when a group of Ravenclaws appeared. They weren't happy seeing the space being taken by us and went to the other side of the hall to decorate. You could see there was ambition burning between the two teams and before we knew it, we were passing around the decorations faster and faster, wanting to dominate our territory. The Ravenclaws were pesky enough to magic-up an enormous Raven stone statue that invaded our space. Some of us ran to get our brooms and we started adding extra decorations to the ceiling. It was an extravaganza that ended up waking the school. We had spectators sitting at the dining table, cheering for us. The whole room was filled with coloured streamers, balloons, pi _ñ_ atas, basically anything that hangs, carpets, sculptures, coloured smoke and confetti. I could barely see through anything.

I'm proud to say that the Slytherins won the non-existent House Decoration Cup. The Ravenclaws were adamant that it wasn't a fair win, but that doesn't bother us. They've always been sore losers.

 _Astoria Greengrass_

OvO

"Going out again…Draco?" Lucius questioned.

"Yes." Draco gritted his teeth, his hand just inches away from the doorknob.

Lucius raised an eyebrow and haughtily folded his arms. Draco was not going to fool him and he was not going to let his son merely slip by. "To do what, exactly?"

Draco groaned to himself. This was already the umpteenth time Lucius had interrogated him. "Nothing."

"Surely you're doing something."

"I'm not."

"Who are you meeting?"

" _No one."_ Draco emphasised and looked straight at him with conviction. "I'm just going out to the streets."

Lucius snorted, "How unlike you."

"Why can't you believe me for once?" Draco sighed in exasperation. His brusque voice grew louder, "Why do you always think I'm doing something behind your back?" Draco briskly walked towards the door before Lucius could ask anything further. "I just want a breather."

There was a resounding slam and Lucius defeatedly slumped onto his armchair.

"What did you say to him this time?" Narcissa worriedly asked as she came over.

"Our son thinks that he should be simple." Lucius sorely drummed his fingers on the armrest, staring at her expectantly.

Confused, Narcissa tried to comprehend, "And what about that?"

Lucius vacantly gazed outside a window, feeling more fatigued than usual. "It just wouldn't do. He would die soon enough."

Narcissa gave a horrified gasp at the thought of that, but sensing that Lucius' patience was dwindling, she hurriedly retreated and left him.

Seeing that he had privacy at last, Lucius inspected his ring and his cane. They were both plated with rhodium and wound into a snake head, glinting with its emerald eyes. Lucius instinctively took out a cloth from his breast pocket and gently polished them, a task he did every day without fail, alone.

His hand trembled badly, pleading with him to stop.

He did not know why he ever made himself do this. He pushed it to continue against his will, until the metal of his prized possessions gleamed brilliantly, without a trace of dust. He gave them a weak smile that immediately dissolved away.

There was a clatter and he bent down, grasping his hand around another ring that had fallen out from his pocket. It was a modest band, plain and unembellished, its former purity rusted.

OvO

There was a swarm of students gathering at the paved grounds and Draco knew that where there were people, there was commotion. He curiously went towards the large group, squinting his eyes as he tried to find Astoria. A hand waved enthusiastically back at him.

"Excuse me…sorry…" Astoria muttered as she jostled through the crowd. "I can't believe you're here again!" she grinned, giddy with an excitement that made his heart skip.

"What's happening here?"

Astoria dismissively waved her hand, "One of those Slytherin prefects is picking on someone."

"Who?"

"Samira Foster."

Draco caught a subtle glimpse of a tall girl who was, admittedly, very beautiful. However, her wand hand was jerking haphazardly and her unblemished face was scrunched up. "She doesn't look like someone who would be picked on."

"That's what I thought."

"STOPE EET, MARRGARRET!" Samira's voice was deafening despite her petite stature. She was quivering from supressed rage and had formidable wrath that made the rest keep a distance.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Margaret smugly twirled a strand of hair around her finger.

Samira was billowing and she gave an uncontrollable scream, launching herself forward. "EEVERRTEE STAHTUM!" A blast of light shot from her hand and threw Margaret backwards. A roar of laughter followed, even Astoria was charmed by this peculiar sight.

Margaret nimbly got up, grunting, sweeping her bluntly cut hair to the side. "You think you're so clever, don't you? Larcanum Inflamarae!"

Samira sidestepped. She narrowly missed balls of flame that whizzed past her. "LARNLOG!"

"Ignis Retro!"

Samira froze as the spell she cast backfired, punching her in the face. She opened her mouth to retort, but all that came out was nonsensical sounds.

Margaret gave an awfully high-pitched laugh. "Look at you! Your tongue is glued to the roof of your mouth!"

Astoria anxiously tugged at Draco's sleeve. "You have to help her!"

Draco shrugged, "There's nothing much we can do."

Astoria took one look at Draco before yelling, "That's enough Margaret!" A dozen pair of eyes were focused on her as she nervously made her way to the front.

"Really Astoria, did you just _have_ to be part of it?" Margaret sneered.

"Cut it off, Margaret. Samira's disgusting, but so are you." Samira gave Astoria a dirty look, but her eyes widened helplessly when Margaret raised her wand.

"Ventus!"

"Protego!" A shield formed around Astoria, causing the strong winds from Margaret's wand to ricochet off in all directions. There was the rapid flipping sound of pages from textbooks, the other students were trying to pull their robes down. When Astoria saw that Margaret was beginning to wear out, she casted another spell. "Immobulus!"

Margaret found herself stuck to the ground. She clenched her teeth furiously, "How dare you!"

Pleased, Astoria strode up to her, arms behind her back. She bent down such that her face was level to Margaret's. "Are you done, Margaret?"

"Sectumsempra!" There were cries as a force viciously slashed Astoria across the chest. Blood was seeping through her clothes. She felt everything around her go faint.

"Astoria!" Draco ran over. Astoria had fallen unconscious. He gently lifted her into his arms and briskly turned to head to a doorway that led to the Hospital Wing.

He got stopped by a horde of students who were open-mouthed. Some of them giggled and pointed.

Draco roughly pushed through the crowd, "Move off."

OvO

Astoria's vision was blurred, but it gradually restored itself. She tried to sit up, only to feel an intense pain.

"Are you alright?" Draco leaned over from the side of her bed, wrinkling his forehead in concern. Astoria woozily nodded, still suffering the impact. "You took longer to recover than expected. That Slytherin Prefect's spell knocked you out for an hour."

"An hour?" Astoria was sorely upset about her sign of weakness. "Could you get me a quill and paper?"

"You should do it later."

"I'm feeling better."

"You need to rest."

"I'm _fine_ ," Astoria replied irritably. She then guiltily conceded. "I suppose I can't write now. But thank you."

Draco felt a little light-headed at hearing that. "My pleasure. I mean…no problem." He was secretly hoping that Astoria would ask him to accompany her to Hogsmeade.

"I'm quite lucky to have someone like you always helping me," Astoria joked.

"Oh. I guess you are."

"That's enough chit-chatting for you, Astoria!" Madam Pomfrey promptly marched over. "Mr Malfoy's already late for his appointment with Professor McGonagall," she remarked, shooing him out.

"Wait, Draco."

"Yes?" Draco turned hopefully to Astoria.

"You can go the Slytherin dormitory and have my…never mind." She thought better of passing him the Drooble gum. She needed it more than he did anyway.

OvO

Samira knelt by the glass cabinet, scrubbing the trophies hard.

Margaret Winters was sullen, repeatedly running her fingers over the collar of her robe, where her Prefect's Badge was missing. "This is _all_ your fault."

Samira nonchalantly disregarded her, already contented that Margaret had landed into trouble. Margaret sat hard against the cabinet to make her point clear. "It's because of you that—"

"Winters! Enjoying yourself, eh? I've got things in my office, you can come in and clean 'em," Filch gruffly barked.

Margaret meekly shook her head. Filch grunted and haggardly slinked off. "As I was saying, it's because of you that Professor McGonagall sent _me_ into detention. Did you hear me?" Margaret rapped on Samira's head. Seeing that her words were not taking effect, Margaret grabbed Samira's jaw and threateningly turned it towards her. She whispered spitefully, "Do it _one_ more time and I'll tear if off you."

" _Vy ne mozhete_." Samira was rocking back and forth, murmuring to herself.

"That's right. Do it again, and everyone will see you for themselves."

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Reviews and feedback are welcomed!


	7. Chapter 7

Sir,

I've been in the hospital for what has seemed like weeks, I hope you're not upset that I missed my lessons. I can get up now after a whole eternity and Samira, out of all people, was the one who helped me to class! Yes, that Samira. The Samira that says I'm like Merlin's beard gone rotten. It does hurt my pride a little though. The two of us have been tight-lipped the whole time we go to class together. I know I should be thankful, but I just don't feel like it. I shall try to think better of her from now on. You might be wondering as to why I haven't talked much about Alice. Well, Alice and I aren't having much of a problem. It's just that she needs her own time. And I can respect that.

 _Astoria Greengrass_

OvO

Sir,

I've been thinking about Alice a lot. And it hit me that Alice never mentioned anything about a mother. I sat down with Alice in the evening and asked her about it. I was cautious. I thought that I might come across to her as insensitive. But she was fine with it. I feel like she was forcing herself to seem fine. Alice never knew her mother. She had already died when Alice was young, which only left Mr McGregor to take care of her. I can see why Alice is so distraught about her father. I have almost no doubt that he's innocent. Alice said that she knows where her mother's grave is, I offered to come along with her. Alice confessed that she was mad with me. And she still is, she can't understand why. I feel very sorry for her. I thought I was in a bad position but really, Alice is much worse off.

Come to think of it, Sir, that brings Draco's parents to mind. I prefer not to be too involved in other people's personal business, but I remember how Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy used to come to Hogwarts often to try and speak to Draco. They are quite forbidding, I was afraid of them. And I quietly disagree with their view on blood superiority.

I don't know if I'm right, but I think Draco's ashamed of them. He does sort of own a right to be, I think they made some serious mistakes. But looking back, seeing them looking through the windows of Hogwarts, shouting for Draco convinces me that they do care for him. That makes me want to be like them.

 _Astoria Greengrass_

OvO

Sir,

I've caught up on my schoolwork, it didn't take as long as I thought it would. Now that I've some spare time, I think it would be a good idea to pay a visit to Hagrid. I do think I owe it to him.

 _Astoria Greengrass_

OvO

"'ave some tea, Astoria." Chipped porcelain teacups hovered over, which Astoria gladly received as she gazed at the fireplace. She felt something gently brush by, causing her to recoil in horror. She trusted that Hagrid knew what was going on, but she was naturally preparing to defend herself. Hagrid chortled, "Forgot ter tell yeh 'bout my guest. Young Thestral. Hurt her wing. Real beauty, isn't she?"

"I can't see it."

"Oh, sorry 'bout that. Must 'ave given yer a scare." Hagrid extended his arm and dotingly stroked it. "Don't know why wizard fools hate 'em. They are gentle creatures, wouldn't harm yer."

"That reminds me of Draco."

Hagrid snorted, "Dat Malfoy scum! He 'urt my hippogriff!" He gave a noisy sniff, his eyes turning watery, "But 'tis nothing to worry. My hippogriff's safe now."

"I think Draco's changed, Hagrid."

"Yer really think?"

"Really."

"I believe yer." Hagrid was still bitter and crunched on a rock cake. "Can't be as bad as his father."

"You know Lucius Malfoy?"

"Nasty man. Came 'ere years ago. KILLED MY BUCKBEAK!"

His voice then softened as he caressed the Thestral again. "Sorry, didn't mean ter startle yer."

Astoria looked on with apprehension, beginning to doubt herself. "So, he really is that bad?"

"Hogwarts never did good for him." Hagrid brooded over this with much thought. "He was a strange boy. Never spoke. Sit at the side, do people-watching."

"You mean he did that in all of his school years?"

"Yes. 'specially in seventh 'ear. When Lily and James Potter came ter Hogwarts. He stopped talking, always by 'imself. Gave James and his friends lots of detention. 'specially Sirius Black. He 'ated him."

OvO

Sir,

My visit to Hagrid's place was most interesting. I shall be stopping by Hogsmeade this week and getting more things for myself. If I've time, I should go and see George as well. I'm not sure if I should ask Alice to tag along. She may not like it. We'll see about that.

 _Astoria Greengrass_

OvO

Sir,

Draco and I bumped into each other at Hogsmeade today. I'll admit, it was a coincidence that I was hoping for. Draco bought Drooble's gum and shared half of it with me, I felt terrible about what I did. He asked me about my friends and I just couldn't help but bring up Alice. I wanted to find someone I could confide in. I told him everything. I hope that Alice won't get mad with me after this. Draco was very understanding, he said that he wants to come with us to pay respects to Alice's mother. I think that's very kind of him, I don't think Alice would mind too much. I'm slightly disappointed that I couldn't see George. I was looking forward to it. Draco said that it might be too rushed and there's no point in seeing him today, I guess he's right.

 _Astoria Greengrass_

OvO

Sir,

I asked Professor McGonagall for permission to have a day-off tomorrow for Alice and myself. I'm now writing to Draco to tell him the news. I do feel proud of myself. I think I'm becoming more selfless by helping Alice like this. I hope she won't be angry about Draco coming with us. I know he means well.

 _Astoria Greengrass_

OvO

Alice was spiritedly making her way through the long stretch of grass that reached her knees.

"I've never seen her so happy." Astoria remarked with emotion.

"Thank God for that." Draco had been uneasy since Alice was clearly disgruntled on meeting him. He deserved it, if he were to be honest with himself. He could not bring himself to tell Astoria that he was not here for Alice. He was present for selfish reasons.

His mind cleared when rows of slabs of stones began to tower, with skeletal trees in the background. He nervously stepped over the uneven ground that occasionally had muddy puddles. His father would have been infuriated if he knew where his son had gone. It was troubling, that he was trampling over the blood of Muggles. There were sharp branches that jabbed at him. He swore that they were sneering at the bloodshed that he himself caused previously. It bothered him, until he had to let it off. "I heard from McGonagall that you are taking Alchemy."

"What?"

"I do enjoy Alchemy. It's a challenging subject that has brought about great changes."

"No, I mean, why are you telling me this right now?"

"There's nothing wrong with sharing such interests."

"Don't you get it?" Astoria was stressing her words. "You said that you would come, to be with Alice. And now you're talking about these things?"

"It's just small talk."

"You don't care about anyone, do you?" Draco shrugged, infuriating her further. Astoria stormed off ahead of him, refusing to speak.

Alice walked past each grave wistfully, stopping to examine each one of them closely. They fascinated her and she felt at home. She almost could trust them wholeheartedly. Finally, she reached one that was crowned in ivy and she ran over to it, ready to embrace it. She crouched down and tenderly tugged the leaves aside with one hand, the other tightly grasping the stone. She breathed out the carved inscriptions, "Here lies Anna. Loved by all. Dearly missed by Martin and Alice McGregor." She flung herself over the headstone, crying joyfully.

"Your mother must have been beautiful." Astoria whispered, placing her arm on Alice's shoulder.

Alice slowly removed Astoria's arm. "My father buried her." Astoria tried to pull out the ivy, wanting to clear the grave.

"Don't." Alice violently smacked her hand. "My father planted them for her. He said it was her dying wish."

"Why did she want that?"

"How would I know?" Alice threw her hands in frustration. "She never told my father, she never told me."

Astoria was briefly silenced. "I'm sure if she was still alive, she would have loved you. Much more than my parents would—"

"I knew it! I knew you would only be concerned about yourself. I'm sick of this, all of this, Astoria."

"I came here to _be_ with you."

"I should have known, Astoria. That you would be like this. I gave you a chance. And you had to be like this. And I don't even know why you brought Draco along. You know what, just leave—"

"But—"

"LEAVE!" Alice's voice resounded and Draco shuddered when he overheard this.

Alice buried her face and waited until she heard nothing from around her. Draco warily treaded towards her. Alice glared at him, but Draco ignored it. He stood in front of the grave, melancholy surrounding him and he bowed deeply. He did not have a particular reason for it, he felt pushed to do it. He wanted to.

He stood back up and saw Alice was speechless. He genuinely pitied her. Undecided on how to respond, he said gently, "Your eyes are a beautiful grey."

OvO

"Draco left again without telling us," Narcissa clung onto Lucius' arm, distressed. "Where is he?"

"I am quite certain as to what is going on."

"What? Tell me, quickly."

"He has been talking to _someone_. One who is _disgraced_."

Narcissa intensely shook her head in denial, "No, he can't leave us like that." She agitatedly wrung Lucius' hand, "What do we do?"

Lucius pompously wore his coat, huffing, "I'm afraid I'll have to go and see our… _pathetic_ relatives."

"You don't mean…"

"We have to."

Narcissa paced about in a frenzied manner, "But our darling boy…" She was blubbering with despair, close to giving up on herself.

"We are left with no choice." Lucius himself was vanquished, mulling over this outrage. "Nobody would want us after we failed to serve The Dark L—" Lucius cut his words off as Narcissa gasped, her eyes wailing at him to stop.

Lucius was beating himself. He deeply sighed. "Draco has forced us to come to this."

"But our…relatives…"

"The family is already the best we have for him. One of the members is a prominent Auror, quite easily persuaded and he has a daughter. We shall make a negotiation."

"I won't have it," Narcissa sputtered. "They are a…a nuisance. Even Draco knows that."

"He brought it upon himself."

"There has to be a way to—"

"There is _no_. _Choice_." Lucius clipped his words.

Narcissa slumped against the wall as he left. She demanded herself to be collected. This is what Lucius would want.

She could only choke harder. "Our boy…"

OvO

"You're an idiot, Lucius. We're just innocent first-years, what much can we do? Don't you agree, Peter?" James Potter was determined to maintain a sickly-sweet tone.

"Why…y-yes," Peter muttered, scrubbing the floor so hard that his brush was wearing out.

"To be fair to James," Lupin folded his arms, feeling quite wronged, "What you did was not justified at all."

"Really, Remus?" Lucius sniggered. "To think you would have the audacity to say that. Running in the school grounds is childish behaviour and you all deserve a proper lesson." He then sensed that something was amiss. "Where's Sirius Black?"

"Someone called me?" Sirius gleefully skipped past him, munching on an apple.

Lucius yanked Sirius by the collar, "You were supposed. To be. Scrubbing the floors."

Sirius leisurely continued snacking, talking with his mouth full, "I joosh wen to doh keechoon."

James gave a loathsome giggle to aggravate matters.

Lucius was ready to explode, "All of you run off! Sirius Black, you are staying here. And don't let me catch any of you again!"

Sirius watched the rest scurry off and mouthed to them, "Catch you later."

"Sit." Lucius commanded, pointing a threatening finger.

Sirius stuck out his tongue, "What do you think I am? A dog?"

"Do you _want_ further punishment?" Sirius sulkily dunked the brush into a pail of soapy water.

Lucius wondered if he had gone too far. "How were lessons today?"

"I don't care about that," Sirius spat, the water in the pail sloshing. "You're always like that. One moment, yelling at me. Next moment, you try to act civilised. Shows how pretentious a person you are."

"How dare you call me that!"

"Oh, and let me see, you were asking about lessons…" Sirius fidgeted with his hands. "…Awfully boring. Except Potions. That was still decent. I finished too quickly, so I made a small brew of the Draught of Living Death. Wasn't too hard. Just get the proportions right and modify the stirring directions. Professor said it just needs fine-tuning." With that, he said nothing else and lazily resumed his task.

Lucius was too absorbed to notice that Sirius did not bother to soap his brush. In all his years, no Professor had ever said that his potion only required 'fine-tuning'. For Sirius to already reach that stage in his first year, he was capable beyond his years. Of course, he had already realised that from the past detentions he meted out to Sirius. He kept it to himself that he was, in fact, in awe of Sirius' rebellious antics, something that he would not have the courage to do.

"Your hair's in your face. Get it out."

"No."

Lucius gritted his teeth. "Then I'll _do_ it for you." Lucius ruthlessly pulled it aside, feeling its softness in his fingers. Sirius glowered at him, giving off a dark air that Lucius found hard to resist.

If his father Abraxas knew what he was doing all this time in Hogwarts. Not finding a potential suitress. Feeling giddy when the captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team swept by him. Not paying attention in class because he was too focused on that one student who was a born genius. And Sirius was all of it. He was not even his age.

He dreaded the shame that crept up, what Father would say.

OvO

Lucius stumbled his way to the door and rapped on it. To think that this was _even_ a house. He curled his lips at the thought of how it was built out of a flimsy structure. It was shabby, plain, he was starting to regret visiting them already.

The door creaked open and immediately slammed shut. Lucius stuck out his foot to stop it from closing. "I'm not here to see you, Arthur."

Arthur had his nostrils flaring, face close to turning redder than his ginger hair. "No Malfoys are welcomed in my household."

"I have already said it. I am not here to see you. I wish to talk to your brother, Bilius Weasley."

* * *

 _Reviews and feedback are welcomed! Apologies for this late update, I won't be active the first 2 weeks of December as I'm going to the UK for a school immersion trip. Feel free to pm me if you've any advice on the weather, the culture, the students or anything about the UK, I'm most looking forward to my first time in such a country. I'll try my best to squeeze in a new chapter next week, thank you so much for your patience!_


	8. Chapter 8

_Managed to write this chapter just in time before I go for my school immersion trip :)_

* * *

"How did you know Bilius would be in today?" Arthur leaned in closer to probe him.

"It's fairly simple," Lucius gave a crooked smile, having difficulty in keeping his voice crisp over the ruckus coming from The Burrow. "Today is your…son's birthday."

"My son is called _Ron_."

"Such personal things do not concern me. _Arthur_. I only wish to speak to Bilius."

Arthur's mouth twitched and he grudgingly allowed Lucius to step in.

The inside of The Burrow was more noisy than usual. Its compact space was packed, with some parts of it having people that had their shoulders touching one another. There was the shrill pop of a bottle and Molly Weasley was scrambling. "Have some turkey, Harry dear. George, tell me, just what are you doing? Someone please bring the plates here! And Ron-" Molly realised that all eyes were looking ahead of her.

The house went quiet for once and Lucius regally stood at the head of the crowd, waiting impatiently. Molly swelled up and fume was spewing from her.

"Oh no," George murmured. Harry nodded in silent agreement and carefully sipped on his cup of Brandy.

"LUCIUS MALFOY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? GET OUT!" Molly wielded her recipe book and madly waved it in the air. "WHO BROUGHT HIM HERE?"

Lucius casually gestured at Arthur, who sheepishly fumbled for an explanation, "Well…well you see…Mollywobbles, he was…well, I was…"

Molly stomped up to Lucius, causing him to flinch slightly. The dishes floating behind her were spinning out of control. "YOU BASTARD! THINK YOU CAN FOOL ME? AND…and SPOOK MY FAMILY AGAIN?" Ginny looked down at her plate and Harry wrapped his arm around her. "YOU KNOW WHAT? I'M GOING TO TURN YOU INTO…INTO-"

"Mom, don't." Ron hurriedly restrained her.

Molly struggled to put her wand down, "Oh all right, but only because it's your birthday, Ron."

"What do you want, Mr Malfoy?" Ron's question was terse.

"I thought you would never ask." Lucius twirled his cane. "Where is Bilius Weasley?"

"WHO'S BILIUS? Am I Bilius?" A man a few years older than Arthur got up. He was almost bald and had barely any strands of ginger hair on his head.

Percy, who had been keeping mum, smacked his palm against his forehead. "He wants Uncle Bilius? Out of all people?"

"Not now, Percy," his wife Audrey hushed him.

"But who _would_ want him?"

"I'm sure, Percy, that your Uncle was a fine man."

"He was, until he became a divorcee and got introduced to Whiskey. I don't understand why the Ministry keeps him."

Bilius put on his glasses, his breath reeking of alcohol, "You look familiar…"

Lucius firmly shook his hand, "Lucius Malfoy. Pleasure to meet you. Now, shall we discuss matters outside?"

Arthur gladly ushered them towards the door, but Molly blocked their way, "Oh no you don't! You will not fool my brother-in-law or harm him in any way or do any dark magic of sort. You are going to stay _right_ here."

Lucius pressed his lips together in distaste. "Very well, then." George served himself a slice of pie, appearing to be enjoying himself compared to the others. "I've a son, Bilius, and I think it's about time he found himself a wife." George's cutlery slipped out of his hands and he banged on the table, roaring with laughter. The room was prompted to erupt into chaotic buzzing.

"Draco? Having a wife? You've got to be kidding me."

"Merlin's beard!"

"Draco Malfoy? The student who was a Death Eater?"

"This is ridiculous!"

"I can't do with this any longer." Molly retreated into the kitchen, rubbing her temples, with Arthur following after her.

The Golden Trio looked at one another helplessly. Hermione's eyes narrowed and she was bursting with her own thoughts. Harry and Ron were equally perplexed.

"Quiiierrrt!" Bilius yelled drowsily and the room turned sullen. Bilius opened a bottle and shakily raised it towards Lucius, before drinking straight from it.

"Thank you Bilius," Lucius answered with feigned gratefulness. "As I was saying, knowing that you are an Auror with many outstanding accomplishments- "

Percy sputtered, "I beg to differ."

"You have a family that is of my respect. And as such, I would like to propose arranging for your daughter to meet my son."

A girl with her hair tightly scrunched into a bun sat up straight with indignance, but inside of her she was fighting with fear. "Daddy, you…you can't!"

"I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with this," Hermione protested and nobody dared to say otherwise. "Mr Bilius' daughter has the right to make her own decisions and what you are doing Mr Malfoy, is completely uncalled for."

"Are you saying this as someone who, perhaps, thinks she knows more than she does?"

"Don't you dare say that about Hermione!" Ron's face was screwed up in anger.

"Brightest witch of her age…but doesn't hold a job…hmm…I must say…what a strange phenomenon…"

Hermione was crushed and Ron would not stand it, "She is planning out her campaign for Elf Rights and next year, she'll finish her final year in Hogwarts. And she'll join the Ministry, which I think she greatly deserves."

Lucius waved Ron off. "The important thing now is what _you_ think, Bilius."

"Don't listen to him, Uncle Bilius!"

Lucius placed a gold bar in Bilius' hands. Bilius' eyes widened in wonderment, "Gold…"

"I can promise you, Bilius," Lucius cooed, "You will have a hefty repayment...that is all I have to say. Whether you take the deal or not is entirely your choice."

"YES! YES!" The room could only stare at Bilius, speechless.

OvO

Sir,

Let me just say that Alice has left me as a friend for good. It's a long story but in short, she thinks that I don't care about anyone except for myself. It's ironic to me, because that's exactly what I said to Draco. I don't know Sir, if I've overestimated my position to tell others they're wrong. I am ashamed of myself. To think I thought that just doing one good deed can cover up the fact that I'm spoilt.

I guess I've a lot to think about. Maybe I can learn from you, Sir. Even though you are kind of a boring, old man (who still hasn't told me if he's bald), I like to think that you are a selfless person. For you to be willing to spend on others, you can't possibly have been a spoilt child like me. I really want to redeem myself, but I don't know what I should do. I only know I can't ask you, because you don't reply to my letters.

 _Astoria Greengrass_

OvO

Sir,

I've learnt that I'm a cowardly person. Today Samira asked me to have a minute with her. She didn't say much, she just wanted to say that she's sorry for being mean to me. I appreciate what she did, I never expected it.

I don't get it Sir, why people can be good, but I can't? Why couldn't I tell Samira that I'm sorry for thinking badly of her? Or why didn't I want to apologise to Alice? Why did I keep Draco's Drooble Gum for myself? I don't understand. Daphne told me when we were young, that there's only the bad and good. No one can stand in the middle.

Samira was bad, now she's good. I think. What does 'bad' even mean? And she did a single good thing to me, so is she truly good? Alice has to be good, her father too. I don't think it would be fair for me to judge them. Draco's such a virtuous, kind person. If it wasn't for something that he said a few days ago, I would have said he's good for sure. Except that I'm not sure if he's supposed to be bad now. I feel like it's Daphne's fault that I'm this confused.

 _Astoria Greengrass_

OvO

Sir,

Did you have a proper childhood? Professor Slughorn was telling us stories today, about how he as a child modified a Potion to grow different types of beards. I feel very bothered, because I tried to do some recollection and I couldn't remember much about my childhood at all. Of course, I do remember those few years that preceded going to Hogwarts. How my parents said that I'm hopeless at painting. How Daphne was a pain. But I mean when I was just a few years old. I remember absolutely nothing. There's not even one thing that happened at that time that I can think of. That frustrates me, because I must have worried a lot less then.

People always say that in bad times, we should draw on the good times. Thinking about Alice hurts. Draco and I had interesting times and it felt nice whenever he helps or listens to me, I'm not sure if I should think about that though. It reminds me of our recent row. Maybe I should think about Hagrid. But thinking about Hagrid makes me think about Lucius Malfoy, which therefore makes me again confused about whether he belongs to the bad or good. Perhaps I should think about George and his joke shop. That's where I met Hermione and Ron too (but I sadly did not see Harry Potter). I should stick to that.

 _Astoria Greengrass_

OvO

Draco sat in his study, thoughtful. He could remember his childhood easily— it was one of mundane eventfulness. He preferred to think of it from a child's perspective, how he used to see it.

Every day in the Malfoy Manor was social gatherings. His mother Narcissa would dress him up in those black robes that made him feel mighty and fuss over him throughout the morning. Thereafter would be a gathering that lasted into the night. There would be the continuous arrival of wizards and witches. He used to be afraid of them and hide in a corner. Some looked too stern for his liking. Some looked plain hideous. Some seemed normal enough, until words that sounded revolting started pouring from their acid tongues. Eventually his mother would convince him that he was being silly and bring him around to get to know his 'extended family'. Many of them would comment on how he bore an uncanny resemblance to his father. That was always his favourite part.

He hardly talked to his father. He was always socialising and using big words. He would constantly talk about 'the fall' and 'return' of someone. He wondered why his father never cared about other things. Surely talking about people falling and returning could not sustain a conversation for that long.

There was only that one time back then, where his father actually spoke to him at length.

Lucius bent down to have a good look at him, as if he was meeting him for the first time. He looked back at his father and after what seemed like forever, Lucius remarked, "You need to cut your hair."

"I don't want to. I want long hair, just like you."

"I won't let you."

"Why not?"

Lucius was stumped. "Do you want to know a secret?"

Draco was nodding eagerly. This was the first time his father was telling him something important.

"But you have to promise you won't tell your anyone."

"I won't."

"Good boy." Lucius tousled his hair, which at that time was long enough to reach his shoulders. "When I went to school, the boys there were strong, brave, smart, I wanted to be…to be…"

"Their friends?"

"A bit more than that."

"Best friends?"

"Close enough. Yes." Lucius smiled with a tinge of sadness. "I didn't think I was brave like them. So I thought, maybe if I had long hair, they would think that I'm pretty."

"Pretty? But that's only for girls."

"That's what my father told me. I learnt a lesson, that as men, the world needs us to be strong. Not like girls, they only know how to cry. It is by being in control that we have a purpose here. That's what I want you to learn."

"Why didn't you cut your hair, Father?"

"That's…something for another day." Lucius tried to steer this conversation in another direction and popped a ring in Draco's hand, the ring that always fell out of his pocket.

"What's this, Father?" Draco was transfixed on this treasure and was playing around with it.

"My father gave it to me. It's called a purity ring. So that I always remember that wizards like us must stay pure."

"What do you mean?"

"In this world, Draco, there are two kinds of wizards. The first kind is like you, their parents, their ancestors are all wizards. And there's the other kind, where their family has Muggles in it."

"What's wrong with that?"

"I want you to listen very carefully." Draco stopped and looked at Lucius, swearing to himself that he would remember this for the rest of his life. "See this ring? How it's shiny, clean? Would you throw it into dirt?"

"No, that would ruin it."

"Exactly. This ring, it represents the pure wizard blood that runs through us. And those wizards that are born of Muggles, they are like the dirt we step on. They threaten our existence. That's why we call them _Mudblood_."

"Mudblood," Draco uttered to himself. "Father, you wouldn't let me become like that, would you?"

"Never. That is something that I can promise you."


	9. Chapter 9

Alice could remember the story her father would put her to sleep with. He would drag her onto his lap, ignoring her adamance that she was too grown-up for that, though deep down, he knew that she absolutely loved it. He would rock her, the exact moment at which she was to whisper, "Tell me the story, Papa."

"You wouldn't go to sleep after I tell you that."

"I won't be scared. Tell me."

Martin would settle her onto her bed and think deeply, not knowing how he always found the capacity to tell her such a torment he went through. Perhaps, it was because this story was his endearment to her.

OvO

When Dougal McGregor walked in to see chair floating in his room, it was possibly the worst moment in Martin's life. Dougal ferociously knocked over a table and the basket of fruits placed upon it rolled onto the ground. He had never seen his father like this. A handsome man now gone into a beast. "What is this? ANSWER ME."

Martin, with difficulty, grabbed a plate from the cabinet to shield his shrivelled face, but it shot out from his hands and gave Dougal a smack. Dougal was taking a step back, looking at his son like as if he was a fearsome creature. "I know what this is. It's witchcraft. Sorcery."

Martin found himself at the doorstep, screaming as his father pushed him further out of the cottage. "WHAT HAVE I DONE?"

"You have brought me too much shame," Dougal declared in a voice that had lost its confidence. All parts of the house were locked and after many failed attempts to break in, Martin wandered past the maize fields that he used to weed, which he never returned to.

He roamed the streets every day, tiptoeing to dig through trash bins for scraps. A girl a few years younger than him was kind enough to give him an unravelling piece of cloth. She bent down, to which he considered an exception amongst the many people who took pity on him. "I'm sorry, this is all I have."

"Why should you say sorry?" He could not believe his ears. He was having an actual conversation in such a long time. "I've never seen such kindness."

"Here, let me mend it for you." Without a thought she discreetly took out a strange, long, thin object, it seemed like a small branch to him. She softly uttered an incantation and he stifled a scream as the seams of the fabric wove back together by themselves.

"Are you…a witch?"

She realised her mistake and scolded herself under her breath. "I don't think it would harm to tell you. Magic exists." He wanted to ask her more questions, but she hurried off.

Years later, he was still homeless. He had at least managed to work as an odd job worker to keep himself alive and buy a flimsy pair of glasses. He could never figure out where to find this 'magic' group of people that he could belong to, until he had to fix the pavement in front of the Greengrasses' house. He swore that the grand structure of the house loomed over him in a snarky manner and he was certain its owners were probably no different.

He was smoothing cement, knees beginning to hurt, when he heard a bang that started off a row from within that house. He quickly stood up, nearly tearing his legs, running without thinking to the front of the house that had its door ajar.

"You think _I_ 'm not enough?" A ring clattered onto the ground and the young woman's dress had its stiches close to ripping apart. "That's why you brought her in, isn't it?"

"Look, I'm sorry. I'll get rid of her and everything will be fine again. And I'll let you do anything you want. You can run the household, make the decisions."

The woman sniffed and dotted her eyes with a handkerchief. "All right, then." She gave the man a suffocating hug that made Martin want to throw up. "And who are _you_?"

"Oh…erm…well." Martin stumbled up the stairs, straightening himself. "I'm sorry if this sounds strange, but do you…by any chance. You know…" Martin swished his arm in the air. "Do some magic of sort?"

The woman wrinkled her nose, "If it isn't obvious enough."

"Yes, if it isn't _obvious_ ," the man followed suit.

"I was just wondering," Martin leaned back and forth hopefully. "If you would be able to tell if I'm one of you. Like, part of this magic group."

"Do you know any spells?"

"No."

"Do you have a wand?"

"You mean the stick?"

The woman folded her arms, disgruntled. "Did you get a Hogwarts _acceptance_ letter?"

"What is that?" Martin felt his voice get smaller.

"Well I'm most sorry, you can't _possibly_ be a wizard." The couple shared a scornful smile. The woman twisted her hair, "And aren't you supposed to…go back and do that dirty work?"

Martin stood there, saying nothing, his fists clenching to supress himself.

OvO

"You just _had_ to make me do something that I wouldn't want to do!" Draco could not care less about being dignified, shouting at his father was something he badly wanted to do.

"Draco, don't embarrass us in front of our guests." Lucius was tightly gripping Draco's shoulder. "My deepest apologies, Bilius."

"Not a problem. Say, you got any wine here?"

His daughter let out a frustrated snort and kicked hard against the floor. She then silenced herself and went back to sulking.

"Now, now Harriet." Bilius lowered his voice to what seemed to be a whisper for him, but anyone from far could easily overhear him. "You stop making this difficult for Mr Malfoy and I, then we'll get the gold from them."

"Can't you see?" Draco shoved at him. "He's just doing it for the wealth. And his daughter clearly doesn't want it and neither do I."

"No no no, that's not what you think." Bilius was visibly shaking.

"Of course not, Bilius. We place much more trust in you than that." Lucius snapped his fingers and a house-elf teetered over to get a bottle and a glass. "Do, Bilius, enjoy a drink. May you excuse my son and I for a moment?"

Bilius was not listening and dragged Harriet along with him. "Come and have a glass, Harriet. These Malfoys make fine produce, not everyday you get to have a taste of it."

Lucius pulled Draco aside with brute strength to a far corner and pressed him against the wall. Draco felt his arms go sore and he was struggling with much effort. Lucius was digging his fingers into his skin. "I promised you, I promised others, that this family will remain highly regarded in this wizarding society- "

"Then break it!"

"Really?" Lucius had a sneer so venomous that Draco could not stand it. "I'm afraid you'll have to live with it. Because I will _never_ bring the shame upon this family. What's making you so…defiant? It couldn't possibly be someone who's influencing you in such a…if I have to say…disgusting manner- "

"She's not!"

Lucius raised an eyebrow and gave a warm smile that emitted coldness, "And just who are you referring to?"

"I- "

"Go on."

"I meant…Harriet."

Lucius let out a large breath in apparent disbelief. "Considering what you said before this, I find this fairly difficult to believe."

"I'll go out with Harriet, if that's what you want."

"If that is what you say…very well, then." Lucius remarked, smugly applauding himself.

OvO

"Ugh! Why are we _here,_ at my _cousin's_ shop? I didn't even _want_ to go with you!"

"Can't you be quiet?"

"I hate you!"

"Maybe you could just shut up!" Draco was crouching at the back of the shop, which still had unfinished infrastructure.

Harriet leaned against one of the structures, pouting and impatiently drumming her fingers. "I'm waiting, and you _still_ haven't told me why we're here. And that's why I hate-"

Draco was already tempted to throttle her. "We are here," Draco answered with little patience, "To wait for someone."

"I hate doing this and there's no point in it and I hate- "

"Just keep quiet! For once, okay? Merlin's beard, to think I thought Ron was bad."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?! You know what, I HATE- "

Draco covered her mouth abruptly, "She's here."

Harriet let out a series of muffled sounds until she figured out that it was no use.

Draco peeked out of the corner furtively as Astoria passed by. "I knew it!" he unconsciously gave a victorious slap at Harriet, "She would definitely come here. It's the day before April Fools."

"Wow," Harriet answered dryly. "She's a brunette. Fascinating. I'm already starting to hate her- Hey!" Draco punched her in the ribs and Harriet lay on the ground, moaning. "I hate you!"

"We _know_ that." Draco slowly made his way to the front of the shop.

"I'm _so_ going to tell George about this. But he won't think it's true because he hates me and I hate him…"

"Astoria! Finally, here after so long!" Fred cried euphorically, nearly tumbling from the ladder he was standing on.

Astoria quietly laughed. "Any ideas for April Fools? I'm quite keen on prank Professor McGonagall, although I hope there won't be detention for that."

"As a matter of fact, I do." George swiftly jumped down, which he was normally too tired to do, dusting his hands. "There's so many things. In fact, I'll just put them in a bag for you. Free of charge!"

"Really?"

"REALLY?!" Harriet screeched and Draco frantically shushed her.

"Thanks a whole lot, George!" Astoria cheekily punched his arm and Draco was seething.

"Leaving as fast you go, don't you?" George teased.

"Yes, I'm hoping to make a quick visit to someone."

"Who?"

"Oh erm…a relative of a former friend of mine. It's hard to explain."

"Martin…" Draco muttered to himself.

"Your brunette's coming out! Are we moving, or not you stupid-" Harriet asked irritably, dragging him backwards.

"Quit it, Harriet."

"Don't you talk to me like that. Seriously, you are someone that I really hate." She flung out her arm to emphasize her point, knocking down a small wooden pole and that started a domino effect, causing the scaffolding to crash.

"What did you do?"

"What did _you_ do?"

"I'm sorry Harriet, I'll just have to go without you. You explain to your cousin yourself."

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING? I HATE YOU!" Harriet helplessly gaped at Draco running off.

OvO

Draco checked his watch repeatedly while being squashed to the side by other wizards in the lift.

"Level two," the lift crisply announced and he rushed out, earning himself some annoyed glances.

It took him several turns before locating the sign—Prisons for those Detained. "Visiting which?" Draco looked around to find the source of the voice before realising he was supposed to look down. A goblin of smaller stature than most was clearly disgruntled about being overlooked for the umpteenth time.

"I'm visiting Mr Martin McGregor."

The goblin rummaged around and got out a ring of keys. "Category A. Prisoners deemed harmless. All the way down the corridor. He's the only one there."

Draco hurried into the room and closed the heavy door behind him.

Mould was creeping into the walls, which made the space feel tight. There were rows of empty cells that had their metal bars rusted and coated in dust.

"Draco? What on earth- "Astoria was standing in front of the last cell, momentarily taking her attention off the prisoner.

"Astoria look, I've been trying to find you and I'm sorry about what happened last time- "

"Why do you have to be here at this time?"

"Because I want you to know that I care about this and I didn't want you to go visit this prison alone- "

"How did you know that I was coming here?" Astoria was furiously yelling at him. "Why are you controlling me? Trying to control my life?"

"That's not what I meant!"

The door opened in a huff and the goblin was storming in. "Stop with the noise or else I'll have to- "

There was a deafening boom and the three of them were thrown to the ground, unmoving. Alice slid out from the small corner, "You didn't tell me that you still had your wand, Papa."

"They wouldn't think of it," Martin retorted as he adjusted his glasses. "They think that I'm some kind of Muggle. I wouldn't let them confiscate my wand if they did."

"Honestly Papa, you shouldn't have told me to hide when they were coming. I could have just taken them down immediately."

"I can't keep up with this act anymore."

"What do you mean?"

The aged man grunted and dropped a bottle of Polyjuice into her hand.


End file.
